美联社新闻一分钟 AP NEWS 2007-10-28

1.California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is vowing¹ to hunt down arsonists who he says are responsible for at least two of the fires that have ravaged Southern California. Meantime, soot⁴ and dust from this week's wildfires is making the air quality especially bad there.

2. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff is the latest official to blast FEMA for holding a fake news conference earlier this week. He says the phony presser was the dumbest thing he's seen in government and vowed⁵ to discipline those behind it.

3. Pakistan's former prime minister has ventured out in the public again, more than a week after an assassination⁶ attempted against her which killed more than 140 people. This appearance was peaceful and she told those there that she is not going to let extremists stop her from bringing democracy back to Pakistan.

4. More than three dozen daredevils have taken a flying leap from the top of Moscow's tallest TV tower. The jumps coincide with the 40th anniversary of the tower's construction.

1 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

2 arsonists   

n.纵火犯( arsonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The factory was destroyed in a fire started by arsonists. 工厂在纵火犯引起的火灾中烧毀了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Australian Attorney-General Robert McClelland said suspected arsonists could face murder charges. 澳大利亚总检察长罗伯特麦克莱兰说，怀疑纵火犯可能面临谋杀指控。 来自互联网

3 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

4 soot   

n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟

参考例句：

• Soot is the product of the imperfect combustion of fuel.煤烟是燃料不完全燃烧的产物。
• The chimney was choked with soot.烟囱被煤灰堵塞了。

5 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

6 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。